The invention relates to a method for the process-controlled manufacture of an item.
In the prior art methods are known for the process-controlled manufacture of items, such as consumer goods or capital goods, in which, in the manufacture of a car, for example, the individual components are prefabricated by suppliers in a highly complex and specialized mass production and then gradually assembled on the car manufacturer""s assembly line. In this process the car manufactured represents an individual customer order corresponding to the set variants offered by the manufacturer, or for marketing reasons a standard car is produced, which is marketed at the dealers even without an individual customer order. Present day process-controlled mass production is inexpensive and also permits the manufacture of a certain number, albeit a limited number of variants determined by the manufacturer, in meeting customer requirements. Thus vehicles can be ordered and manufactured in different colours and with different trim packages.
Owing to the relatively small scope for conversion of process-controlled manufacturing methods, however, any adaptation to real, individual customer requirements is not feasible.
The object of the invention therefore is to provide a method for the process-controlled manufacture of an item, in which account can be taken of individual customer requirements. The intention is furthermore to provide an item, which has been produced by process-controlled manufacturing and has customized characteristics. Finally, yet another object of the invention is to provide a manufacturer""s data unit, which permits an customized production of items made by process-controlled manufacturing.
In the method according to the invention at least one process data record, which is used in a manufacturer""s data unit for the control of processing and/or test facilities, is replaced, supplemented and/or modified by a customer data record.
The customer data record contains specific characteristics of the item to be manufactured that have been requested by the customer. As the customer data record replaces, supplements and/or modifies the process data record, the data in the customer data record pass into the control system for the machining and/or test facilities, so that during the process-controlled manufacturing the manufactured item is endowed with the characteristics requested by the customer according to the customer data record.
This means that in process-controlled manufacturing and in the case of a continuous manufacturing process it is possible either to manufacture standard-versions of an item according to parameters set by the manufacturer i.e. according to existing process data records, orxe2x80x94if customer data-records are availablexe2x80x94it is then possible to customize the standard versions of the items to suit each customer. Production is furthermore organized cost-effectively and conversions to accommodate customer requirements can be accommodated immediately without interrupting the production flow. An item is produced which has precisely the individual characteristics requested by the customer according to the customer data record and which is thereby accepted and appreciated by the customer.
The method according to the invention therefore allows mass-produced items to be inexpensively customized so as to reliably meet the taste, wishes and appraisal of the customer. The manufacturer""s range is thereby adapted directly to customer requirements, so that no items are manufactured that the customer did not want or require.
Here the term xe2x80x9ccustomerxe2x80x9d must be taken in particular to mean the end user of the manufactured item, for example the purchaser of the manufactured motor vehicle, garment or other item.
The process data records, which serve for controlling the processing/test facilities (in short, the manufacturing machines) of the manufacturer in the manufacture of the item are usually concentrated in a manufacturer""s internal data bank and explicitly inaccessible from outside, especially by the customer.
According to the conventional method of manufacture, the manufacturer, especially in the case of highly complex, specialized equipment and products (for example, motor vehicles), receives a production order from a dealer, which the dealer has negotiated and defined together with the customer. The process data records of the manufacturer""s internal data bank are then generally activated according to the individual order and the car is manufactured in one of the defined variants that the customer has selected from the brochure at the dealer""s.
The method according to the invention now allows the customer, in this case the purchaser of the vehicle, direct access to the manufacturer""s data bank and the process data records filed therein by way of a (defined) interface without having to go through dealers or other such intermediaries. The actually internal manufacturer""s data bank therefore has at least one interface, which provides a connection to the outside world, that is, directly to the customer.
The customer data record is inserted into the manufacturer""s internal data bank by way of this minimum of one interface of the manufacturer""s internal data bank and replaces, supplements and/or modifies the existing process data records there, so that the item to be manufactured is no longer manufactured according to the standard process data records but according to the process data records which are replaced, supplemented and/or modified by the customer data record. An item is thereby produced which is manufactured for the individual customer.
In concrete terms this means, for example, that a customer who by way of a customer data record requests a certain interior colour scheme when ordering a car can achieve this by incorporating the customer data record into the manufacturer""s internal data bank by way of the (defined) interface.
In applying the interior colour scheme, which can be done by printing machines, for example, account is now taken of the customer information in the customer data record and the interior is designed, that it to say coloured or tinted directly according to the customer""s ideas.
All other sections of the process data records, such as those process data records relating to safety-relevant parts of the car remain unaltered.
The method according to the invention therefore allows the customer partial access, precisely definable by the manufacturer or the manufacturer""s supplier, to individual data fields of the process data records and allows him to customize these.
Combining of the customer data record with the process data records as described can be accomplished by way of a customer data unit, which is connected to the manufacturer""s data unit by way of a data line, e.g. on-line. The customer can therefore, for example, place orders for the manufacture of an item from home on their own personal computer, customize the item and possibly even modify it subsequently. The direct connection to the manufacturer""s data unit by way of at least one interface gives the customer constant access to the manufacturer""s data unit to the extent allowed by the manufacturer.
The customer data record can also be compiled with graphic, audio and/or visual elements according to an original supplied by the customer. Thus the customer himself can compile a graphic design or fabric pattern, which is then translated during printing of the respective fabric at the manufacturer""s. In another example the customer can record a personal photographic motif in the customer data record and then have this motif incorporated into the continuous manufacturing process for the printing of garments or the printing of a watch face, for example.
The customer can compile the customer data record by using conversion devices, such as a scanner, to transform the photographic original into the customer data record and data format according to the interface definition of the manufacturer""s data unit interface.
In order to ensure the safety of the manufacturing process, the manufacturer can block or fix specific data fields in the process data record relevant in terms of safety or other aspects, it being possible to replace, supplement or modify the data fields by means of the customer data record. In addition the manufacturer can define what data format (e.g. clock frequency, coding etc.) the customer must use in order to be able to combine the data present in the customer data record with the process data record by way of the interface.
According to a further variant of the method the manufacturer can also verify the content of the customer data record in order to ensure that despite the customized design the characteristics of the manufactured item still conform to the manufacturer""s product philosophy.
All of the manufacturer""s inspection and test procedures may also be omitted or automated, however, so that the customer has direct access to control of the manufacturing machines. For example, monitoring by the manufacturer can be confined to automated queries in connection with the customer data record (e.g. Is the data format correct? Can the specified customer data be translated by the manufacturing machine?). Such queries, however, may also be entirely omitted.
The item according to the invention is characterized by characteristics determined by the individual customer. An item produced by process-controlled manufacturing is thereby still inexpensive to manufacture by the continuous production process and can still possess the individual features required by the customer. The advantages of mass production (low costs) are combined with the advantages of a more manual one-off production (taking precise account of customer wishes).
The characteristics determined by the individual customer may be advantageously marked on the surface of the item, for example by inscription, coating or other method of surface application or removal. Every mass-produced item can thereby be visibly customized in accordance with the customer""s notions.
In a further advantageous embodiment the customized design features relate to the content of a memory module of the item, which is provided with individual customer features. Thus it is possible, for example to provide items having speech functions (for example a children""s toy), with the voice of the respective customer, thereby customizing the item. In general, many different functional and/or aesthetic characteristics of the manufactured item can be customized.
At least one process data record of the manufacturer""s data unit may be supplemented by data from a customer data record via the defined interface of the manufacturer""s data bank. In contrast to the conventional manufacturer""s data unit, which forms a closed data system, the manufacturer""s data unit according to the invention has at least one (defined) interface, which provides the customer with a connection for data communication or for data exchange and allows the customer, within limits set by the manufacturer himself, to control the manufacturing machines directly via the combination with the manufacturer""s internal process data records so that the manufactured item is customized.
The manufacturer""s data unit is connected by way of a data line (e.g. Internet) to the customer data unit (e.g. a personal computer). The customer data unit may be installed in the customer""s home, on the manufacturer""s sales premises or at the dealer""s. In the latter case the dealer may also advise the customer on compiling or preparing the original for the customer data record. An essential feature is, in particular, the direct access of the customer data unit to the manufacturer""s, data unit and the manufacturer""s manufacturing machines.
The customer data record, which is combined with at least one process data record of the manufacturer""s data unit, may comprise a large amount of data, which in addition to the characteristics of the item to be manufactured, that is the production data, may also contain order data and customer data. Thus, together with the customer data record, a production order can first be initiated at the manufacturer""s and the customer""s personal and address data can be transmitted to the manufacturer, so that the customized manufactured item can also be delivered directly to the customer.